


Book One: The Time Before

by CarryOnMySwanSong



Series: Good Enough [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Gen, Loki and Reader will eventually end up together, Reader-Insert, This doesn't happen for a while, movie canon violence, slight movie divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-04-20 10:31:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14259051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarryOnMySwanSong/pseuds/CarryOnMySwanSong
Summary: (Y/n) is an Avenger. Her powers are healing and destructive. She doesn’t look like a superhero but she also moves in a way you wouldn’t expect, looking at her. Book one explores her place in the Avenger Tower.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> We are just gonna pretend that Stark Tower/Avengers Tower is still a thing. Because I like the tower.
> 
> Also, tags, characters, and pairings will be updated with each published chapter.

Chapter one filler


	2. The Little Miracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet (Y/N). She isn't like everyone else. She proves this the day she saves the Avengers' lives, one by one. Tony takes an father-like interest in her, and she joins the Tower.

All her life, (Y/n) knew she was different. Not only in looks, but also how she even functioned. Her parents were normal people, who lead normal lives. Her birth was a little abnormal. Her first act, on this earth, was to save her and her mother’s life. She was born with the ability to heal. For many years, it was the only thing she could do. But before they cut the cord, her little brand new brain could sense the distress her mother was in. They both almost died. If she didn’t have the ability to heal, they both would have. Her mom’s pregnancy was a risky one, and labor took its toll on her. But (Y/n) stepped up to the plate and set it all right with one giant wail of a cry.

With her loud cry, the damage inside her mother was healed, the machines stopped alarming, and they were able to cut (Y/n)’s cord, wrap her in a soft blanket, and set her in her mother’s arms. They called her "The Little Miracle".

As she got older, she developed other abilities. They came on gradually, and like second nature to her. There was no learning curve. One day she didn’t have it, the next day she did and everyone moved on.

The second ability to develop was one of destruction. The two worked together, in a way. And both affected organic and non-organic alike. With her healing powers, she could mend anything that was broken or not functioning correctly. She could reverse those powers and break something that was fit to work. She didn’t have to touch things to do either, but she did have to at least be aware that it was near her. It didn’t have to be in her line of site, but as long as she knew said thing was there, it could be manipulated.  

Not long after her destructive powers developed, her senses became heightened.. This was part of how she could diagnose people to heal them. Or to fix whatever inorganic item needed fixing. She also had a sort of “6th” sense. This developed along with her heightened senses. She could see injuries and scars like a lavender glowing light. She could see these lights under clothes and through glamours. Injuries and scars could not be hidden from her, including mental ones. The only things she could not heal were genetic based illnesses, including mental illnesses that were passed in this way. She could help someone’s body accept treatment, but she could not cure them. She also could not grow limbs or missing body parts. Once it was gone, it was gone for good. She also could not give back what was missing. If someone was born with a deformity, she could not heal it. She could help the person live a better life with said issue, but she couldn’t take away their disability. 

She could heal herself, as well. Some with healing powers, can’t affect themselves. Or they can, but have no control over it. She has almost total control over her healing abilities - the only exception being if her life was in danger and she was unconscious... Which means she has the ability to teach her body things, like martial arts and things of that nature. She wasn’t beyond what we refer to as “muscle memory”. Which was a good thing, because it kept her safe. She isn’t completely immortal. She can be killed. But it takes a lot of work. 

At the height of puberty, she developed super strength, to the dismay of her parents. Keeping her from lifting vehicles during tire changes or when they were stuck in the mud, and carrying all the groceries to the car from the store, was a challenge. She just wanted to make their lives easier. But her parents just wanted to keep her safe. If the government knew of her, they’d steal her away and experiment on her. She was just a child and deserved to lead as normal a life as possible. 

The last to develop was the ability to teleport. She could follow a sound, or an idea of a place and go there. She didn’t need to even see it or visit there before teleporting. It was very hard on her body, but it was one she practiced most. She always suspected that it was so hard on her because she of her size. She didn’t have a small body and had to displace a lot more space around her as she moved around with her powers. More molecules to keep track of and put back in the right order, every time she landed.

* * *

All of these abilities came in handy the day the sky opened up and mechanical monsters destroyed the city. While the superheros were running around trying to stop the monsters, you were teleporting around the city trying to get people out of harm's way, and healing as many people as you could. You didn’t know it, but you saved thousands of people that day.  

You hardly ever took a break. The only thing you ever stopped to look at, was when you happened to glance up and see a man in green, gold, and black and he was just glowing lavender. You couldn’t distinguish the injuries on him, he was just one big ball of lavender light. He was leading the charge so you didn’t have much time to dwell on this. Someone else always needed her help. The battle was brutal and scary. 

It wasn’t until you, one by one, healed some of the Avengers, that you finally caught the eye of one Tony Stark. You knew who they all were, but you didn’t stick around long enough for them to get your name. You’d pop into the space next to them, heal them so they could get up and fight, and then you were gone again. This interaction took only seconds. You could hear their shouts, trying to get you to come back, but you never looked back. It wasn’t until Tony fell out of the sky and wasn’t breathing, that you were standing still long enough to catch anyone’s attention.

You saw The Hulk catch him and crash land to the ground. You saw him toss Tony’s body to the ground once they had stopped moving. You knew you had to help. You reached him before anyone else did, even tho Thor and Captain America were really close to him. Thor went to roll him over but you had to stop him.  

“No! Stop! If you move him and injure him worse, I might not be able to heal the injury! Let me look him over first.” you pushed the man with the hammer away from Tony’s body, ignoring his  questioning expression and vocal protests. Looking him over, you determined that he could be moved, and gently rolled his body. “Can someone remove the faceplate?”  

Thor tore it off the helmet and tossed it aside. It landing with a metallic clang a few feet away. 

You kneel next to his body. The Hulk was getting increasingly agitated. “Calm down, Big Guy. I got this. He will be fine. Just let me work.” Something about your voice made him stop pacing and he calmed his breathing a little.  

Steve and Thor moved to try and help and you pushed them away again. Your strength startling them. “Boys, please stop crowding me and let me work. I got a limited window.” The lavender lights all over Tony’s body, showing you his injuries, were slowly fading, which meant his heart had stopped beating. That also meant that the arch reactor was probably also damaged. In fact it wasn’t glowing so you knew it wasn’t working properly.

You place your hands over his chest and send out a lavender colored energy wave. As the light went into Tony’s chest, all three of the men around you moved to stop you. It didn’t phase you. You pushed them away one by one, with your non-dominant hand. The Hulk wanted to pick you up and throw you, but you decided you didn’t want to be moved, and he then realized that he couldn’t even tip you over. He bellowed in frustration.

Finally, the machine in Tony’s chest lights back up, and Tony takes a gasping breath. You continue to heal him and the scrape on his forehead seals shut enough to stop bleeding. It still needed to heal, but you were tapped out and couldn’t heal anymore.

Tony asked Captain what happened, and the blue eyed man looks to the sky and utters two words, “We won”. At that utterance, the world around you suddenly went dark and you groan in pain and collapse backwards. Your head bouncing on the concrete. You tried to fight it, but you just had nothing left to give and your body just shut down almost completely. Your heart only beating a few times every 30 seconds.

With each beat of your heart, your hands were pulling energy from the world around you. Your hands were glowing the same shade of lavender as the energy you put into Tony. Which meant no one touched your skin if they could help it.

Slowly your body became more and more aware that you were being moved and your senses started to kick in, even if you weren’t fully conscious. They stayed alert, even after you stopped moving. There were many voices whispering around you. Some were directing those who were moving your body. Some were telling the others that you were indeed the woman who helped heal them so they could continue to fight. You heard Tony’s voice, above the rest, “She saved my life. We have to look after her.” You didn’t catch the rest because you fell back under.

At some point, your heart rate returned to normal, and you stopped drawing energy. Once your hands stopped glowing, you felt a warm hand in yours. You are pretty sure that the hand is different every few hours. People coming to visit you. One, you were certain, was Tony’s. He’d whisper encouraging words in you ear. Having him near you, reminded you of your dad. Always hovering. Always fussing over you. Sometimes you’d register a change in the air, like you’d been moved to another room. The sounds changed. You could hear Tony’s voice. Like he was talking out loud. Not necessarily to you. More like at you. Trying to keep your brain engaged. Sometimes he was really close to you. Sometimes you could still hear him, but he was far away, like he was across a very big room, from you. It helped you focus on trying to stay present in the moment, so you didn’t keep slipping into the darkness that wanted to envelope you.

* * *

You don’t know how many days had passed, but finally your eyes start to open… immediately, the machines start to go off, as your heart rate raised just a touch higher than it was use to. The only word you uttered to the mystery hand in yours was “Light”. And your eyes fluttered closed again.

From that moment on, the room was drowned in darkness. No one understood your need for it, but once it was dark again, they waited for you to wake again. Tony’s voice in your ear letting you know it was safe to open your eyes.

Finally, hours after the first time you spoke, your eyes really truly opened, taking in the scene around you. You were in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV, a feeding tube, and all sorts of machines monitoring your oxygen, heart rate, brain activity, and even one for measuring your energy input/output, which you found interesting. Along the walls of the room you were in were several plush chairs with various bodies in them. The walls, themselves, seemed a little too clean and white for an actual hospital. You couldn’t see exactly who all was in the room with you, because of the darkness of the room, but you had a feeling you already had a general idea.

You look down at the hand in yours. It wasn’t as familiar as Tony’s, but you felt safe, regardless. You noticed the man, whose face was buried in his arm, on your bed, and was snoring, had small spots of lavender in various places on his body. You smile at him and your hand in his started to glow and the injuries he had slowly started to fade. One particularly nasty one on his side knitted back together, causing him to gasp awake at the sudden intrusion. You just mended a broken rib he had no idea was still broken. The two ends hadn’t been set properly. It was healing faster than if he weren’t souped up on super soldier serum, but it was still not all the way healed and probably hurt like hell still. 

He watched in awe as your hand stopped glowing and he took stock of how he felt. The pain in his side gone, and he felt refreshed. The man was Captain America, and he had some of the most beautiful eyes you’d ever seen. Even you could tell that, in the dark. The light from the various screen around you illuminating his face just enough.  

“You healed me, again. And I don’t even know your name. I’m Steve.” he whispers and then he smiles at you, before releasing your hand.

“I’m (Y/n). How did I get here?” You whisper back.

“You went into a coma after you healed Tony. We brought you to Stark Tower. Figured that since your heart was only beating  few times a minute and your hands were glowing bright lavender, it’d be safer than a hospital. I should probably wake everyone and let them know you are ok. The staff here were besides themselves waiting. You’ve been out for 3 weeks.” he pats your hand before he stands to wake the others and to get a member of the staff caring for you. 

Tony wasn’t present and he startles everyone when he rushes into the room, causing the all glass door to slam open and bounce off the wall, cracking the corners of it slightly.

“Oh thank goodness. I was so worried I was going to have to pay for a funeral. I’m glad I don’t have to do that. Thank you for restarting my heart and this thing” he taps the glowing circle in his chest.

You nod at him. “It was my pleasure. Thank you for keeping me company while I was out. You didn’t wheel me into your lab while you worked, did you? I heard you talking a lot, a long with a lot of things clanging together.” you grin at him, knowing the answer. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” his face goes a little pink before he recovers and walks over to you, grabbing your hand in his and looking down at you. He still had faint lavender lights on his body. Your hand lit up and you proceed to heal him. He jerked his hand out of yours, trying to stop you and you only smiled. 

“I don’t need to touch you to heal you. It just works faster if I do. Besides, I healed a lot of people that day and I just had nothing left to give. You were dead. Heart totally stopped. The tech in your chest had stopped glowing. Fixing that contraption was the most difficult. I’m glad I didn’t make you explode cuz that would have been awkward.” your hands start glowing brighter as you healed the rest of the members of the team who were in the room with you. Their glows finally fading.

This was why the room was too bright. The glow of their injuries, while faint, was like a spot light to your eyes, which you hadn’t used in weeks. Coupled with the light from the ceiling and the giant window in your room, it was all just too much. 

The doctor finally walks in and does a once over of your vitals. He informs you that you will stay with them for another 24 hours, just to make sure you were ok and to ease you back on to normal food, but that you seemed healthy and was pleased with your progress. 

As the night went on, those who weren’t in the room with you when you woke, filtered in. You healed whatever injuries you noticed they still had. No one asked, you just did. It was second nature to you. They remembered your face from you healing them during the battle and were coming in to thank you. The amount of people was small enough that you could draw the energy you needed to replace.

* * *

The next morning, Tony visits you again, before your discharge. You were asleep but he left you some paperwork on your side table. It was a letter asking if you’ll move into the tower. It mentioned several other items in the pile. You looked them all over and thought it through, before signing what needed to be signed.

You dozed after lunch, and when the doctor woke you to discharge you, you noticed the paperwork was gone and in its place was a set of key cards and instructions on how to get to your new apartment. This made you smile. Since everyone else was busy, one of the nurses took you to the floor your apartment was on. She helped you get situated in your new living room, and gave you a card with some numbers on it, in case you needed help. She gave your hand a squeeze before she left you alone. 

The first thing you did, once she left, was explore. You noticed that a lot of your old things were in the apartment. The only things that were left at your old place was anything that needed replacing, like the couch, an old bookshelf, and the appliances. The closet even held your old wardrobe, along with a lot of new things too.  

You nearly start to panic until you enter your bathroom. Inside was another smaller room. Well. It was huge, but it was smaller than the bathroom. In this room, with a glass wall, was a tiled floor, with several drains, along with a few small area rugs, and various pet related things. Your dog and your cat were both in this space.

You were so happy you started to cry. You walked into the space and sat on the floor. Both your pets greeted you. You sat like this for maybe an hour, just loving on and holding them, thankful for everything that Tony has given you. Once you recovered, you let them both out of the space, so they could explore their new home.

Arrow, your great dane/pitbull mix finds the couch and curls up and starts snoring. Shuriken, your silver hairless cat finds your bed and does the same. You laugh and shake your head. It doesn’t surprise you that your animals are this laid back. You suspect that Tony moved them in the day you were brought to the tower and didn’t worry about asking permission until you woke up. Which you were fine with. Now you had no rent and you were being paid. So everyone wins. You hated your old apartment. The only thing you were curious about, was who took care of your pets while you were in the coma. You weren’t worried, just curious. The thought of Captain America lounging on your couch, with the dog under his legs and the cat on his chest, made you giggle.

Finding something comfortable to wear, you head to the bathroom.  This will be the first hot bath you’ve had in weeks, and you want to relax. Once your fingertips were prunes, you exit the bathroom, dry off, get dressed, and crawl into your bed. You hadn’t been awake for long, but the day felt like it lasted a week and you were already tired. You call your dog into the room with you. Both pets curl up under the blankets, in your giant king size bed, and all three of you are snoring in no time. You with a smile on your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the life's blood that keeps me going!


	3. Science Bros and The Big Green Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns more about your abilities and you become really close friends with Bruce and Hulk. You and Bruce both gain new family members of the furry variety.

Months went by with Tony testing the extent of your abilities. The first couple weeks of that, he spent pouting about it. He always considered himself the smartest man in the room. His ideas and ability to build, took a lot of know how. Yet you could use your abilities to assemble a piece of tech with just the key components laying in close proximity to each other, and you didn’t need your actual hands to touch the components to assemble them, either. Even in digital 3D models you could see where parts were missing or where an idea wasn't fully or properly formed. The blunders looked like glowing lavender wounds, to you.

Once he got over himself, he put you to good use. You helped him and Bruce both in their labs. Which was especially helpful when Tony blew something up or Hulk lashed out and broke stuff. You could fix the damage and heal the men. For Tony, that usually meant healing wounds. For Hulk and Bruce, that meant helping easing the pain of transforming and also the pain of wounded pride, which often started with you handing Bruce a blanket to wrap around himself for modesty’s sake and teleporting him back to his room so he could take a warm bath and put some more clothes on. 

You seemed to be the only one who could stay in the room with Hulk. Which upset him more… at first, anyways. But offhanded comments he’d made towards you made you realize he thought your healing abilities could make him not exist, and that your destructive abilities could physically separate him and Bruce. You went out of your way to explain how your abilities worked, working to reassure him that he wasn't a wound that needed healing and that you would never try and take him away from Bruce. He actually calmed down considerably after that, especially in your presence. 

Hulk never used your name. But he affectionately called you “The Purple Lady” because of the color of the glow of your hands, while you healed people or put objects back together. Once he really got use to you, he really enjoyed your presence. You and Hulk became close friends. And in turn, you and Bruce did too. Your friendship with Hulk was blossoming to the point where him and Bruce would have to schedule days to be present. You were his first real friend and he wanted to spend as much time with you as possible.  

On days where you had to work, and Hulk wanted to be around you, work went by much slower because you spent a lot of time patiently answering Hulk’s questions. You didn't mind this, since the more you spoke to one another, the more articulate he became. You had a feeling that he was just as smart as Bruce, he just needed to learn how to communicate.  

This friendship had other effects too. When Bruce was present, he was much more productive. Hulk opting to watch, seemingly over Bruce’s shoulder, even if he wasn’t actually physically there. Sometimes Bruce would get a far away look on his face, and you knew that he was listening to something Hulk was telling him. Bruce told you that Hulk would even offered his opinions on things, rather than fight for control the entire time. And Bruce transforming into “the other guy” as he put it, wasn't as easily triggered. They actually began to agree to work together. Going back and forth between the two was still painful, but you helped with that as well. And Hulk was MUCH less destructive, when he couldn’t figure out how to express himself. 

You knew that Bruce could control the change, but Hulk wanted to be present way more often than Bruce ever let him, because he could be so destructive. But after you came into their lives, life got easier for the both of them. Hulk was even allowed to walk the tower and spend time in the Common Room with the others. Because of this, the rest of the team began to trust him a little more, and Hulk was starting to develop other friendships as well.

It took a lot of time. The team would take literal years to fully trust Hulk. But spending time with him, allowed them to trust Bruce way more, and that’s all anyone could ever hope for. They knew he was smart and that he contributed to a lot of the tech that Tony designed and built.. But you were tired of Tony being the only one treating Bruce like he wasn’t a bomb waiting to go off. Tony and Bruce were close and Tony always bantered with him, poking holes in his carefully crafted wall to keep others out. Even Steve, who never looked at Bruce any different from the day they met, sometimes tiptoed without realizing it. But slowly, this was changing.

You spent a lot of time working with Tony and Bruce. It didn't leave you time for much else. You spent your free time either hanging out in the Common Room, chatting with whoever was in there, or you spent it training. The only exceptions were that every night at 8pm, you would stop what you were doing and would walk your dog, Arrow. To everyone’s surprise, Tony never once protested if you were having a late evening, and you would bring Arrow back into the lab with you. The area you worked in was mechanical so you didn't have to worry about Arrow’s safety too much. On days you were testing equipment, Tony had you put him in his office on the other side of the lab. You are pretty sure Tony loved that dog as much as you did.

Because of this, you devised a plan to teach Arrow a new trick. You taught him that when you said a single word “Sleep”, he was to pull on Tony’s pant’s leg and drag him over to the cot in the corner of the lab. He then would nudge Tony until his sat and then would crawl into the cot with him, and then lay on top of Tony. It took you only a month to get the command down pat and only three tries to get it to work on Tony. Since then, once it hit 3am, and if Tony was still up, you’d just say to Arrow “Sleep”, and he’d go through the whole routine. Tony protested literally every single time, but didn’t fight it once he realized that Arrow wasn’t going to let go of his pant leg until he was at the cot. It was either listen to the dog or remove his pants. And he wasn’t about to do that. Since Tony was pretty sure Arrow would just grab whatever piece of fabric he could and he really didn’t want teeth that close to his groin, if the dog wanted to grab his underwear. 

Giggling at Tony’s grumblings, you'd turn off all the lights, save for one or two so that the lab wasn't completely dark. After making sure Tony's situated on his cot with Arrow lying comfortably on top of him, you'd retire to your own on the other side of the lab. It wasn’t fair to make Tony go to bed, if you were still up. Besides, if you stayed in the lab, he was less likely to sneak out of bed and start tinkering again. 

Tony’s other bad habits didn’t change much, but you at least got him to sleep more days out of the week than he use to. This resulted in more tech, more missions, and less dark circles under his eyes. He was also gaining weight to a healthier point, and was nicer to staff. You didn’t dare point this out to him, but you did whisper, quietly about it, with Pepper. She was in the lab more, and thankful for your help. Tony was feeling so much better, he actually gave you a whole weekend off. Something he’d never done before. You knew exactly what you were going to do.

On one of your days off, you were taking Arrow and Shuriken to a pet expo. After putting their harnesses on them and attaching their leashes, you walked them to Bruce’s apartment. You were going to invite him along, because you knew he needed to get out and he loved animals. You also knew it’d be an iffy yes on his part, since there’d be more people there than he was use to, but you assured him that you’d be going later in the day when folks were going to be heading home. He agreed, with the stipulation that if he felt overwhelmed that you’d leave the second he needed to. You smiled at this. You’d never force him to be where he didn’t want to be but you were proud that he was willing to try. Looking into his eyes, you knew Hulk was just under the surface, because Bruce’s eyes were a vibrant green.

“Hulk, are there any animals you want to see, while we are there?” you ask while looking into Bruce’s eyes. 

Bruce tilts his head like he’s listening hard to something distant. “He says he wants to see any cats that are there.”

This makes you smile. You pick yours up off the floor, and hold him up for Hulk to see. “Hulk, this is Shuriken. He is a hairless cat. Do you want to see if Bruce will let you pet him before we leave?”

Bruce nods and then quickly leaves the room. You know he was in his bedroom, slipping out of his clothes and transforming in private, so that he can put on Hulk sized clothes. More than once he’d transformed in the lab and ended up barely covered, since the Hulk shredded his tinier clothes.

When Hulk exited his room, he stood before you, with an unsure expression on his face. “What do?” he asked.

“Go ahead and sit on the couch over there. I will walk the cat up to you so he can see you and get use to your size. He is the largest of his breed, just like you are larger than any other person.” You smile at him.

He nods once and listens. You walk over with your cat. Arrow wasn’t phased by Hulk and followed behind you and sat on the couch next to him, setting his head on Hulk’s leg and wagging his tail. Hulk looked down and curled all of his fingers into a fist, leaving out his index finger. He very carefully rubbed Arrow’s head and ran his finger down Arrow’s back. Arrow’s tail wagged harder.

Shuriken was a little wary of Hulk at first, but seeing how comfortable Arrow was with the giant green man, he warmed up to him very quickly. Shuriken jumped into Hulks lap, putting his front paws on Hulk’s chest, and rubbed his face on whatever part of Hulk that his stretched out body could reach. The cat was purring very loudly. Not satisfied with that, he hopped up on Hulk’s shoulder and started to rub his body on the back of Hulk’s head. Hulk sat very still and let Shuriken rub all over him. He had the largest smile you’d ever seen on his face… ever.

“Kitty. He likes?” Hulk asked you. Hulk usually is more articulate but he didn’t want to startle the cat with his big rumbly voice, so he kept his sentences short.

“I’d say so. I think the two of you are going to be great friends. Why don’t we get going? We can look at the cats at the pet expo and maybe Bruce can seriously think about adopting one for the two of you to take care of? I’m not going to promise that to you, since this isn’t my apartment. But you seem to be very gentle with him and he likes you. So if Bruce agrees, I think it might be ok. And it might help you, also. My pets adore you, big guy.” you smile up at him.

Before leaning over to let Shuriken jump off his shoulder, he puffs out his chest with pride on his face. He takes the same finger he stroked Arrow with, and lightly touched your forehead. It was the equivalent of someone touching your shoulder or hand, in casual affection. “Hulk appreciates Purple Lady.” He nods and stands and walks back to his and Bruce’s room.

You hear a loud noise and you know that the change has caused him to fall over into something so you rush into the room to help Bruce to his feet. “Are you ok?”

He holds Hulk’s pants in place and nods his head, catching his breath. “Yeah, he was just too close to the dresser and not the bed and I fell over in the wrong direction. I’m ok. We are ok. He didn’t fight the change at all and it feels like he’s just sitting on my shoulder watching the world.”

You look up at his eyes and sees that one is very vibrant green and the other is not. Almost like he really is only on Bruce’s shoulder, just watching. You smile and tap Bruce’s forehead above the green eye, with your index finger. The green eye winks at you.

“Alright, Doc, where’s it hurt?” you ask.

“Just my shoulder, where I collided with the damn dresser. I think it is dislocated.” he looks down at the hand not holding the pants up. And sure enough, the arm is dangling at a weird angle and glowing a very bright shade of lavender.

You gather some energy and touch Bruce’s shoulder, easing the pain and allowing the joint to move gently back into place. Making sure to heal all the damage before letting the light fade from your fingertips.

“There, should be good to go. Now you can get dressed and we can get going.” You smile as you back out of the room and close the door, giving your friend some privacy.

Bruce exists a short while later, fully dressed. “Let's get this over with.” his words are apprehensive, but you see the smile on his lips and you know he is actually ok with going.

* * *

You were at the expo for three hours. You bought a few things for Arrow and Shuriken, and answered questions from people who asked about your own pets. Shuriken decided to spend the entire time draped across both of Bruce’s shoulders, with his head hanging down the side that Hulk was occupying one eye of. He purred the entire time.

Just as you were leaving, Bruce stops in front of a table you hadn’t passed by before. It was at the back of the adoption area and behind the table was a very tall pen with a lot of hairless cats. You took Shuriken off of Bruce so he could enter the play area. Two of the cats seemed especially enthralled with the man, and really liked the side of Bruce that Hulk was hanging out in. You left him to interact with the cats and decided to talk to the runner of the booth.

You found out that this wasn’t a breeder, but a rescue company that specialized in all hairless breeds. All the animals were spayed or neutered and had all their shots. All of these cats were rescues. Mostly from terrible situations. The company rehabilitated ferrals as well. All of the cats suitable for adoption were here today.

When you walked up to the pen to ask Bruce if he wanted to adopt one of the cats, a third cat walked up to you. Shuriken was by your heel and stuck his nose out. They rubbed noses through the holes of the pen. The lady running the booth gasps. Your head turns to her with a questioning expression.

“That’s Poe. He has NEVER interacted with anyone. He usually spends these things in the back of the pen, avoiding everyone, including the other cats!” she answers, excitedly.

Bruce stands, with two cats on his shoulders. “Well. It looks like we are leaving with three cats, today.” he beams at you.

You agreed. So you got started on the paperwork and just as the expo was closing, you walked out the door with three cat carriers, and all of you felt much happier.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Your two closest friends got to spend time with animals, got out of his damn lab, and now three cats were getting forever homes. You couldn’t be happier with how today turned out.

On your way home from the expo, you ask, “Bruce, are you up for going to one more place? We ran out of time, so we will have to go a pet store to get our supplies. We need more harnesses, leashes, food and all sorts of stuff to start.” you glance over at him, not willing to take your eyes off the road for too long.

“Yeah, I think that would be ok.” he smiles at you.

You stop at one near the tower and pick up all the stuff you will need, to get started. You picked out two litter boxes for Bruce, got one more for yourself, found the food you preferred for Shuriken. You added a bunch of that to your cart to split with Bruce. You also picked up some food for Arrow, grabbed a few toys for all the animals, and even new pet beds. Bruce insisted on paying for most of it and you let him. He was so excited to go home with his new pets.

You finally made it home, and helped him set everything up. The litter boxes went into the bathroom, since it was central to the space and easy to find. You set up the food and water dishes on the unused breakfast nook in the kitchen. That way Arrow couldn’t reach the food when he was over with you. Finally, when everything was ready, you and Bruce let the two cats out of their carriers and immediately showed them the litter boxes. You showed Bruce how to show the cats how to dig into the litter with their front paws by taking one and gently using the paw to move the litter around. Both seemed to get it really fast so you let them do their business.

“They should be fine, now. But if they start to get overwhelmed… You can just move their food and water into the bathroom and shut the door for a little while. You’ll now they are stressed if they pee somewhere they aren’t suppose to” you tell him.

He nods at you. “Thank you for today. Hulk and I both had a wonderful time. You are an amazing friend.” he hugs you. A rarity from him.

“Bruce, you are my best friend. You and Hulk both. And I saw how taken you were with Arrow. I figured introducing Hulk to Shuriken was a good idea. I’m so happy I was right. I’m also glad you decided to adopt the cats. I think they’d do you and Hulk both some good. Plus, its not fair that I’m the only one in the tower with pets.” you tell him as the two of you leave his apartment and make your way down to your own.

He follows behind you carrying the cat carrier, with the other thinks piled on top, so that you can hold Arrow’s and Shuriken’s leashes. “You know, I wasn’t expecting to leave with any animals. I thought your cat was a fluke. But I saw all those hairless cats and I thought that maybe it was the breed. Maybe I’d find one that I could bring home. Instead I found two. And now they won’t be lonely while I work. Thank you again for this.”

“Bruce, it wasn’t anything. I wanted to hang out with my friend, and get you out of your own mind for a day. You haven’t left the tower in ages and I was confident the Hulk would be ok. I am just glad we could find you some companions.”

He helps you set your own pet stuff up, for the new cat and hangs out while Poe gets use to the new place.

“Any idea what you are going to name your cats? Or are you going to let them keep their current names?” you ask.

“Well, their names are Raven and Hermes, so I don't know. I might change them. I will see if they match their names or not.” he chuckles to himself.

“What?” you eye him questioningly.

“Well, one is black and the other is an orange tabby color. How hilarious would it be if I named them Loki and Thor, but switched them to be opposite?” he smirked and laughed a little more.

“Oh my god, you totally should. It would be hilarious. Thor would find the joke pretty funny, I think.” the two of you fall into laughing fits so loud J.A.R.V.I.S. chimes in and asks if the two of you are ok.

“Yes, you silly computer. We are fine.” you tell the AI. After a pause, you ask, “Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S., is Tony in his lab?”

“Yes, (Y/n), he is. Would you like me to patch you through to him?” the AI answers.

“Nah, just let him know that Bruce and I would like him to come to the Common Room in about an hour.” you answer.

“I will let him know.”

“Also, could you let the rest of the team to do the same? If they aren’t busy. You don’t have to call those that aren't here. It isn’t an emergency.”

“I will let the rest of them know as well”, the AI answers.

“Bruce, lets get the harnesses on everyone and bring them up to the Common Room. Bring a litter box just in case. Let's introduce everyone to our new babies. Which means you need to decide on names.” you suggest.

“I think that would be an amazing idea. And you know what, I think I will go with the joke names. Loki for the orange cat, Thor for the black cat. It will be hilarious and unique to them.” he grins down at you.

An hour has passed and you were ready. You both decided to let Hulk introduce them all, and all four cats decided to ride on his shoulders. Which left you to hold the litter box and to hold Arrow’s leash.

When the elevator doors opened, everyone went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet. You set the littler box down away from the elevator door, near the bathroom, and then joined Hulk by the couches.

“So, as some of you know, we went to a pet expo today. Before we went, Hulk met Shuriken, and they became instant friends.” you pointed to your silver cat currently rubbing his face all over the back of Hulk’s head. The other three had moved to Hulk's arms and he was cradling them much like a protective mother. The cats were very loudly purring and making blinky eyes up at their green friend.

“Well, we didn’t know we’d be bringing home anyone, but we decided to, when we came across a booth for a company that rescues hairless cats. All of them are rescues. Hulk, you want to tell them who everyone is?” you ask.

“You know Purple Lady’s silver cat. He’s rubbing my head. Silly kitty. The black cat is Thor. The orange cat is Loki. Those mine and Bruce’s. The giant grumpy brown tipped one is Poe. He is Purple Lady’s new baby.” with each name, he jutted his chin at each one in turn.

The room giggled at their names and Hulk gives a hearty laugh. He bends down and lets all the cats go so they can wander around the room a little. You left their leashes on them so you could catch them in case they decided to go for a walk about on the elevators.

You drape Arrow’s leash over his back so it didn’t drag and you let him wander around. He went over to Steve and jumped up into the man’s lap, and laid down like he’d been born to sleep there. Something told you that Steve was one of the ones who watched your pets while you were healing in the hospital wing, for those three weeks. The thought made you smile.

Tony looked a little annoyed at having more animals in the building, but he saw how Hulk was with the cats and soon warmed to them. They each took turns walking on his shoulders and rubbing their faces on his facial hair. Poe, the grumpy one, even grabbed Tony’s sunglasses off the top of his head when Tony tried to ignore him. Poe was trying to rub himself on Tony’s face. This made the whole room erupt in laughter.

The night turned into a huge doggy pile on the giant couch in the middle of the room, all of you hanging out like you were one big family. You still wished you knew your team better, but you figured after today, they’d be more than willing to get to know you, outside of the awkward shared meal and training.

You smiled to yourself as you watched everyone around you, loving on the animals. By 4am, all the animals were piled on top of Hulk in some way, most of the team had headed to bed, and Hulk was passed out snoring, with his head tilted back against the back of the couch. Tony was also asleep, with his head resting on Hulk’s arm. Clint was sitting on the back of the couch, on the other side of Hulk, downing his third pot of coffee, and watching whatever movie was on tv. You pulled your phone out and took a picture. This was just too great for words.

This is where your teleportation abilities and your super strength came in handy. You, one by one, got Clint to help you get the animals to their own beds. You didn’t feel comfortable teleporting them, since you hadn’t tested it on non-humans before. Then you teleported Tony to his own bed, gently stripping the man down to his boxers and throwing the sheet over him. You returned and did the same with Hulk. You were able to do this without waking the giant brute. It was rare for Hulk to go to sleep and wake up as himself, but just in case you set out clothes for each of them. You also set out some water and meds, just in case Bruce needed it, if he was the one to wake up. His bed was big enough that the change wouldn’t throw him too far and you made sure to put Hulk in the center so that neither would fall off the edge.

You returned to your own apartment and got ready for your own bed. You made sure your bathroom door was open, everyone had water and food, and grabbed a bottle of water. You changed into your pajamas and curled up in your bed. You fell asleep almost instantly. Eventually, you woke a little as you felt all three of your pets crawl into the bed with you. Once they were all settled, the four of you began to snore.

Today was a very good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the life's blood that keeps me going!


	4. Super Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N)'s friendships with Steve, Same, and Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love exploring the different friendships, in this story.

“ON YOUR LEFT” a voice shouted, breaking your train of thought. You had been mentally going over the list of things you had to catch up on, from your weekend off. Looking up, Steve runs by, wearing gray sweats and a dangerously tight baby blue tee-shirt with an image of his shield on the chest. You only know this because the ass was running backwards away from you. He then turned back around, as he grins, and speeds up. You tried not to appreciate the way his ass looked in the pants. You failed. What? The man was a nice specimen. It didn’t hurt to admire, plus a work of art is a work of art. You didn’t feel anything but friendship towards him though. 

But then amused irritation swept over you, as you register what he actually said.

“HEY! DON’T START THAT WITH ME, YOU STAR-SPANGLED BUTT HEAD. I AM NOT YOUR BIRD-BRAINED BOYFRIEND… AND I CAN OUT RUN YOU IF DIDN’T HAVE MY DOG WITH ME!”, you shouted back.

Just as he was about to pass Sam, and say the exact same thing to him, he hits a patch of grass, falling on to his side, curled up laughing loudly.

You catch up with Sam. “(Y/n), you know Steve and I aren’t dating, right?” He tries to look at you very sternly, but Arrow leaps up and puts his paws on Sam’s shoulders, licking his face.

“I know you aren’t, but you two flirt with each other like you want to at least fuck. I gotta pick on you a little.” you smirk at him. The expression on his face is priceless… like he couldn’t believe what you were saying. This only caused Steve to laugh harder and louder.

You and Sam find a spot on the grass and sit down next to Steve, who is trying to compose himself. Arrow takes it upon himself to crawl on top of Steve, licking his face, wanting to play.

“Alright! Alright! I give! I give! (Y/n) help! I’m being attacked by your dog! I’m gonna be taken out by slobber!” he pleads, tears in his eyes, from laughing so hard. 

“No way! You deserve that, you ass” you swat him on the arm.

Sam sighs heavily and then whistles sharply, getting Arrow’s attention. “Come on, boy, leave the old man alone. You don’t want him breaking a hip. He is a relic, you know.” he muses, ruffling the hair between Arrow’s ears.

“Alright, so what’s on the agenda for today?” Steve asks, after he catches his breath.

“Well, I was going to cook everyone breakfast, and then take Arrow to the lab with me. Then around 5pm, you and I have training. Tony has a thing he has to go to, so I won’t have to stay in the lab for as long, today. We were doing mostly testing so it isn’t a big deal.” 

Steve’s face changes to one of… pleading? “I can watch him, if you want. So you don’t have to lock him in Tony’s office. I can spend time with him at your apartment, or take him to the gym and teach him a few things, whatever you want… If that’s ok.”

“Steve, are you trying to steal my dog?” you quirk an eyebrow at him, playfully. “I don’t mind you spending time with Arrow. He loves all of you, and he seems most relaxed around you. I mean look at him, he has curled his giant self in your lap and is snoring. How that dog fits in your lap is beyond me. You are a big dude, but I think Arrow weighs as much as you do.” You pause and blush “That sounded less suggestive, in my head.”

Sam snorts and starts laughing. “Now who’s flirting?”

“I wasn't flirting! It just came out wrong! You are an ass.” you retort.

You notice Steve’s ears turn pink, and he laughs nervously. You sigh and roll your eyes. The three of you fall into a comfortable silence for a little while longer.

After about twenty minutes of lounging and resting, you all make your way back to the Tower, from Bryant Park, to shower and get ready for the day. You were done with just enough time to make breakfast for everyone and head to Tony’s lab.

You decided on a traditional breakfast. You know, bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, cheesy grits, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, all that. You set out the cereal, and made several pots of coffee. You learned early on that Clint downed coffee by the literal pot. He even had his own with his name on them. You made his first and then the rest was put in a big silver coffee urn. 

You were very good at cooking. It was one of your favorite things to do for the team. You grew up learning from your parents, and when you figured out that no one cooked, in the tower… you figured that if you cooked food for them, that they’d eventually get to know you while you all ate. 

That’s how you and Steve broke the ice and started to become friends. He didn’t bother you after you moved in, but your first morning cooking breakfast, you made his favorite foods without even knowing it. Apparently you did a good job because he just would not shut up about it and even asked you about your recipes.

Before anyone entered the Common Room, you made a plate for you and one for Tony. You knew that he wouldn’t come down for breakfast. He had slept in the lab the night before and he probably woke up not long after you left for your morning run with Arrow. You were running a little behind so you dropped Arrow off at Steve’s door before going to Tony’s lab. 

Once you enter the lab, you look around for your boss. And sure enough, he was at your station, wearing a pair of  [ Magnifying Surgical Loupes ](http://www.roboz.com/magnifying_surgical_loupes.asp) that he built himself. In one hand was some very tiny piece of tech, in the other was some sort of tool. You cleared your throat as you approached him so you wouldn’t startle him.

“Give me a second, I’ve almost got it. I don’t want to drop this screw” he says, without looking up. 

You wait at the end of the table, so you don’t get in his way. You do not want him dropping stuff in his plate of food. 

After 20 minutes, he finally puts down the thing he was working on and looks up. “Oh hey. You are late.”

“No, Tony, that was me that came in 20 minutes ago. And you are at my work station. I cooked breakfast again and brought you some. Put that down and eat before the eggs turn to rubber.” You roll your eyes at him and smile.

“Huh. Are you sure you were on time? I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Tony, I cleared my throat and you spoke to me.”

Recollection crosses his face. “Oh yeah, I remember something like that happening. I didn’t realize who I was speaking to. Alright, I guess I can let it slide since you brought breakfast.”

You swat his arm. “Tony you are an ass. Eat before I hang you from the roof by your toes.” you set his plate down and bring him some silverware from his office.

* * *

 

The day passed pretty fast. Tony kept to himself, barely talking. Whatever tech he was working on seemed to need some extra attention. The whole thing glowed lavender and you told him so. It didn’t leave you much to do, since he had taken up your table and told you not to touch his other stations since they were covered with similarly looking delicate pieces that also glowed in your eyes. You wanted to just put it together for him but you knew he didn’t ask you to do it because this was probably a contract and he was the only one allowed to touch or manipulate it.

Since you couldn’t help, you decided to organize where you could. You even swept and changed the sheets on both of the cots.

With nothing else to do, you walked back up to Tony and got his attention. “Hey, uh, there’s really nothing left for me to today, can I leave early? I wanna get some exercise and stretching in before I train with Steve, today.”

Tony barely looks up from his work and smiles “Yeah go ahead. I was wondering how long it would take you to ask. I’ve gotta be out of here in an hour anyways. Don’t want to leave the corporate monkeys waiting.”

He goes back to what he was doing and you squeeze his shoulder on your way out the door. While in the elevator on the way down to your floor, you ask “Hey J.A.R.V.I.S.? Can you set a reminder for 45 minutes from now, and alert Tony so he doesn’t forget?”

“Of course” was the response.

* * *

 

After taking care of various chores around your apartment, and taking a shower, shaving, and changing into your gym clothes, you head down to main floor that housed the gym. Hardly anyone is in there and that’s just how you like it. You don’t like being bothered while warming up and it also gave you full access to all the various machines.

Even though you had the ability to heal, and you were practically immortal, Tony still didn’t let you go on missions, or heal anyone’s minor wounds. Major wounds were only allowed if they were life threatening. He didn’t want to risk someone targeting you, and he really didn’t want a repeat of what happened when you restarted his heart. He was being an overprotective dad.

This didn’t stop you from training, though. You focused on building strength, and staying limber, rather than losing weight. You happened to like how you looked, but you knew you needed to become stronger, with your muscle memory. What use was super strength, if you were a klutz? 

You also knew you needed to learn more than just the basic moves in karate. You trained with each member of the team, learning everything they had to teach you. The hardest moves to learn were taught by Natasha. A lot of her moves required a small thin body. You were still able to do most of them, but you had to get creative in order to pull them off with your size and shape.

After a couple of hours of stretching and teleporting around the room with various weights, some of the team started to filter into the room. You cleaned off and put back what you were using and sat in one of the chairs along the wall, to wait for Steve. 

He walks through the door with a giant smile on his face. He also has Arrow with him. Arrow always obeyed the rest of the team as if they were you. A point of pride, with you. You were hoping to train him to find bombs and drugs.. If only you could convince Tony to let you go on missions. It has been months since your hospital stay and you were itching to prove yourself to the team.

As if reading your mind, Steve pulls you from your thoughts and motions for several other members of the team to gather around him. Some weren’t part of the original team, and some were missing like Thor, but you knew all their faces.  

“Okay, today will be a bit different. We are going to move down into Hulk’s basement and run some training drills. The only reason we are moving down there is so that we can assess (Y/n)’s strength and abilities. I will need everyone’s skills in this, which is why I’m inviting so many of you down with us. Let's get going.”

Clint walks up and slings an arm around your shoulders and smiles. “‘Bout time we test those muscles of yours. I’m looking forward to being tossed around.” he winks at you. 

You sign and speak aloud so he can read your lips, "You sure about that? You weigh like next to nothing. I think the only person who weighs less than you is Nat, and she's still more powerful than most here." You smirk while you wait for his reaction.   
  
He looks to you in mock offence, his hand pressed to his chest. "That really hurts, (Y/N). Right in the feelings," he says, and you both laugh out loud.   
  
Clint is shaping up to be the brother you never knew you needed. Though he mostly kept to himself, when he found out you were learning sign language he opened up a little more. You always try to sign when he was around, never assuming he had his hearing aids in, which he appreciated. Because of your initiative, the other team members put more effort into learning sign language too. It wasn't like they didn't care, they just took advantage of his hearing aids and his ability to read lips. It's hard to sign on a mission, especially because Clint couldn't keep everyone in his line of sight.   
  
Learning to sign was an easy choice for you, since you'd never gone on missions with him and knew he often wouldn't use his hearing aids while relaxing at home, a secret he shared with you. You promised you wouldn't tell anyone.   
  
You had told him, "Sometimes you just wanna tune out the world without someone making a huge fuss about it. I get that." He had blushed, and you were close, ever since.

Once down in the basement, everyone gathers around Steve, waiting for his instructions. First thing you all have to do is clear the space. Hulk often lived down in this part of the tower, when he was too upset to let Bruce take back over, so you had to move all this things to one of the smaller rooms so you could use the bigger space.  Your excitement built higher and higher, as more and more of the room became available to use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the life's blood that keeps me going!


End file.
